I felt a funeral in my brain
by misoneism
Summary: Kumagami's thoughts in that brief flicker of consciousness during which he realizes he had told the terrorists anything, and everything, they had asked for.


Pain. Oh God, the unyielding, undulating pain.

Kumagami forced his eyes open, convincing himself that it would make him feel better to actually see what was causing the agony coursing through his body. He blinked, head hanging low, unable to summon the energy to lift it.

The sight of his toes and fingers, still oozing blood sluggishly from their lack of nails, made Kumagami's stomach churn. He opened his mouth only to cough, finding it filled with yet more blood and saliva and who knows what else he had expelled over the session.

Were those his teeth on the floor? Ah, that probably explained the painful dips that his tongue was finding.

Kumagami tried to recall what had happened, but his brain was fuzzy, as if caught in a dream (or nightmare) in which he was simply an NPC. One glance to the left revealed a small metal table, the kind they used in hospitals or laboratories, with a few empty syringes scattered on top. What could have been in those syringes? Kumagami furrowed his brows, and slowly the images emerged.

The two men standing before him. A fist larger than his face slamming into his cheek, shattering his teeth. A needle plunging into his arm. And then the searing, all-consuming pain. It had not been a truth serum as Kumagami had initially suspected. No, whatever was in those syringes induced such agony that he shuddered in his phantom recollections.

What else? What else had happened?

Kumagami forced his brain to go further. What did they ask him? What were they looking for? There was no question that they wanted information about the syndicate, but what about it specifically had caught their attention?

Distorted voices appeared.

_Who is the strongest physic? Where is he located? What is his ability?_

What else?

_Tell us about this Otosaka Shunsuke. We already know about him from Furuki; indeed, we've been preparing for this moment for years. However, I want to hear it from you, Kumagami. What are his greatest weaknesses? If you had to break Shunsuke, what would you do?_

He exhaled. Right, they mentioned Furuki and how they had been threatening him for years as a backup plan. It could very well be a bluff to stop Shunsuke or Yuu from time-leaping back to prevent this, but that would be too difficult to figure out in the amount of time they had. The real problem was how much he had revealed to them. Kumagami's memories were so blurry that he could not remember.

Focus. He needed to focus. What had he said?

_"Shunsuke…he is blind. But that is not his greatest weakness…no, it is simply that Shunsuke cares too much about his friends, and the value of human life. His love for those close to him, for his siblings, for me…that is his weakness. And he will always blame himself if anything were to happen to them."_

It was his voice. Kumagami's voice. He had said all of that about Shunsuke; above that, he had spilled everything he knew about Yuu. He had given them the very ammunition they needed to finish this deal and trap Shunsuke. Knowing that Shunsuke would not sacrifice Kumagami made him a perfect hostage with which they could convince Shunsuke to do anything.

_I told them anything and everything…didn't I?_

Kumagami let his tears fall. He had not cried for all the physical pain they had inflicted, but this, how could he live with himself? Putting the syndicate in danger, putting Shunsuke in danger. He thought he would be able to protect them all, but instead he gave the terrorists everything.

He pictured Shunsuke's reaction. Kumagami knew the other man better than he knew himself; could see the way Shunsuke's eyes would widen, his face growing pale, hands shaking. The understand the way that Shunsuke's thoughts would race as he scrutinized every event leading up to this, running up a list of his supposed mistakes. And worst of all, the despair…

Kumagami shut his eyes, succumbing to the magnificent, numbing world of darkness.

_I'm sorry…Shunsuke…_

* * *

Very short one-shot interlude.

Title is by Emily Dickinson, as will all titles be in this series of stories from the syndicate.


End file.
